Use felt to make some cute,
decorative cutouts.

Paper bags with handles become favorite wraps when a little felt, buttons, and a few quick stitches are added. Fill the bags with candles or other holiday items or treats. Materials for set of three bags:

• Tracing paper
• Three 5-1/4 x 8-1/4-inch craft paper bags
• Three 9 x 12-inch sheets of felt: white, red, and green
• Cotton embroidery floss in desired colors
• Assorted buttons: red, green, cream, taupe, and blue
• Black Mill Hill pebble beads
• No. 22 chenille needle or embroidery needle
• White crafts glue; pencil
• Patterns

Download our free patterns for decorating your bags. (Downloading requires Adobe Acrobat.)

Download Adobe Acrobat

Merry Star Pattern

Peace Tree Pattern

Snowman Pattern

1. Trace patterns onto tracing paper; cut out. Cut one of each shape from felt.

2. Lay felt shapes on bags to determine placement of words as indicated on patterns. Lightly pencil the words on the bags. Remove felt shapes. Backstitch words using three plies of floss as indicated on pattern. Glue felt shapes on bags; let dry.

3. Lightly draw a snowman's arms. Stitch the arms with long stitches using six plies of brown floss. Sew on black beads for the snowman's buttons and eyes. Stitch a mouth using three plies of red floss.

4. Stitch buttons on the star, tree, and all three bags. Stitch around the edges of the felt shapes using three plies of floss and straight stitches in random lengths.